Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins movie review

Written by Sean McBride

Wednesday, 13 February 2008

“Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins” Universal Pictures Directed by Malcolm D. Lee Starring Martin Lawrence, Mike Epps, Mo’nique, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Earl Jones, Joy Bryant, Louis C.K, Nicole Ari Parker and Cedric the Entertainer Rated PG-13   2 ½ Stars         And you thought that your family reunions were brutal. “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” takes the family-from-hell concept and dials it up to eleven, with a cast full of talented comedians and a director who obviously doesn’t mind watching his cast go way over the top in search of raucous and randy laughs. Discriminating audiences may turn up their noses at the lowbrow nature of this film, but I’m the first to admit that even wallowing in the dirt, there are plenty of laughs to be found here. Lawrence plays a successful author and TV talk show host who tries to hide his embarrassing small-town roots. He decides to go home, bringing along his beautiful fiancé (Joy Bryant) and assumes that he’ll be greeted as a conquering hero. He couldn’t be more mistaken. Roscoe’s friends and family knew him before he became famous, and they are determined to treat him just as badly now as they did back when he was a nobody. Roscoe is insulted constantly, abused and mistreated, even sprayed by a skunk. You’ve got to hand it to Lawrence; he’s more than willing to beat himself up if that’s what it takes to get a laugh.  More credit to the actor who’s secure enough in his abilities to surround himself with an all-star supporting cast, many of whom are more than capable of stealing away the picture from the star. Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps get some nice moments in the spotlight, and Mo’nique in particular is allowed to run roughshod over the production. I’ll bet that most audiences will come away remembering her antics as the highlight of the film. “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” is violent and raunchy, but should certainly appeal to fans of slapstick comedies. I would have personally preferred to see a bit more nuance in the humor, and I certainly wish that the characters were better thought out; after all, it’s tough to cheer on the hero when he’s as bad as the villains that surround him. But laughter is always the litmus test for any comedy, and “Roscoe” made me laugh. Not so much that I want to see “Roscoe Jenkins’ Family Reunion II” anytime soon, but enough to give “Roscoe” a mild recommendation.   Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News.” He can be found weekly on KAVU-TV, KFDM-TV, and KVIC Radio. Additional reviews can be found at www.rottentomatoes.com, www.panews.com or at www.myvictoriaonline.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.